Inviting Aromas

By: Jeff Falk

Posted: December 5, 2006, from the December 2006 issue of GCI Magazine.

In the not too distant past, home air care was pretty much synonymous with masking odors. If the house smelled bad, consumers reached for a spray or lit a candle. Scented candles also were mainstays of holiday décor, but it’s likely that most consumers thought more about blowing out tiny flames on a cake than enhancing their environment when they thought of candles. Though this may be a bit of an overgeneralization, it’s also a safe generalization when one thinks in terms of dollars. Today’s air care market is huge—and continues to grow.

According to Euromonitor International, the global air care market has been the most dynamic sector in the household care arena since 2001. Revenues from air care products have increased by nearly 30% over that same period—reaching $6.4 billion in 2005. Euromonitor anticipates the global air care market to grow to $7.2 billion annually by 2010.

And it’s not the desire to cover up all that assaults our olfactory sense that is driving the growth.

A recent poll conducted by the Sense of Smell Institute—The Fragrance Foundation’s research and education division—sought to answer why fragrances are used in homes. Thirty-seven percent of respondents stated that the purpose was to make their home smell “warm and inviting;” 26% use home fragrances to create a relaxing mood.

In fact, Euromonitor cites the growth of the air care market to consumers’ changing attitudes toward the home environment and new product developments. Consumers are taking action to create a more relaxing and welcoming home environment through home fragrances.